Toothbrush development has historically been focused on the development of manual and powered toothbrushes. Manual toothbrushes tend to include a fixed bristle pattern for cleaning a user's teeth. Recent advancements in manual toothbrushes include angled, multi-level bristles, and pivoting tufts or cleaning elements. The primary success of these designs lies in their ability to surface clean including the removal of surface plaque. In order to use a manual toothbrush, a user must manually manipulate the brush to provide a back-and-forth and/or circular cleaning motion. Typical powered toothbrushes operate similarly, with the exception that a power source provides the primary cleaning motion. For example, in one conventional powered toothbrush, a power source spins a brush head with generally uniform bristle tufts. In another conventional powered toothbrush, a power source vibrates a brush head at a high frequency. The power source may thereby replace the need for a user to manually manipulate the toothbrush in the back-and-forth and/or circular cleaning motion.
One shortcoming of these conventional manual and powered toothbrushes is that they merely provide for surface cleaning. These conventional manual and powered toothbrushes may not provide sufficient interproximal cleaning. Unfortunately, this may lead to less than ideal oral care.